Google wants to make your email inbox "less spammy." Here's how.
Google is launching new security features for Gmail that the internet search provider says will make users' inboxes "less spammy."
Beginning in 2024, bulk senders who fire off more than 5,000 messages to other Gmail users in a single day will have to validate their identities and include one-click unsubscribe buttons in their emails, Google said Tuesday. The move will also help weed out attackers attempting to install malware by getting Gmail users to visit fraudulent websites.
Senders will be required to process unsubscribe requests within two days. Google also said it might not deliver senders' emails that are frequently marked as spam and exceed the company's "spam rate threshold."
The move could block even legitimate mass marketers from clogging recipients' inboxes. Ultimately, however, the goal is reduce unwanted spam and declutter other Gmail account holders' inboxes, according to Alphabet-owned Google. Other email service providers, including Yahoo, will make the same changes come February 2024, Google said.
"These practices should be considered basic email hygiene, and many senders already meet most of these requirements. For those who need help to improve their systems, we're sharing clear guidance before enforcement begins in February 2024," Neil Kumaran, Gmail security and trust product manager, said in a blog post.
"No matter who their email provider is, all users deserve the safest, most secure experience possible," Marcel Becker, senior product director at Yahoo, said in a statement. "In the interconnected world of email, that takes all of us working together. Yahoo looks forward to working with Google and the rest of the email community to make these common sense, high-impact changes the new industry standard."